About the Author

An international somatic educator and author, Liz Koch has thirty
years of experience working with and specializing in the psoas
muscle. Educating both laypersons and professionals, Liz Koch is
recognized by colleagues in the movement, wellness, and fitness
professions as a connoisseur of the core muscle of the human body.
The author of The Psoas Book and Core Awareness- Enhancing Yoga,
Pilates, Exercise and Dance, Koch is the founder of Core
Awareness, a somatic approach to deepening the experience of the
human core in order to improve skeletal alignment, balance, and
orientation. She conducts Core Awareness workshops thoughout the
United States, Canada, and the UK.

Reviews

"Liz Koch offers us a rich and profound understanding of
movement. Her extensive research on the psoas muscle provides an
important entry into the body and leads the reader into an
appreciation of a holistic view as opposed to a more familiar
idiosyncratic or mechanical view. Every serious student and
practitioner will find this book a must for their library."
--Anna Halprin, dance pioneer and author of Dance As a Healing
Art and Returning to Health: With Dance, Movement and
Imagery "Liz Koch is a deep-diving 'somanaut' with many years
of worldwide teaching experience. In this book, Koch has moved
beyond the psoas into a thorough synthesis of many approaches to
core awakening and body balance. Easy to comprehend, with many
practical exercises that can be done at home with minimal
equipment, this book will be of interest to both the committed
somatic explorer in search of self-help and also the motivated
practitioner seeking good awareness exercises for client
'homework.'"
--Thomas Myers, author of Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians
for Manual and Movement Therapists "It seems that yoga classes
are offered on every corner these days, but unfortunately they
often emphasize movement over awareness, stretching over sensing,
and pushing oneself over self-exploration. Luckily Liz Koch's book
can offer the yoga student inspiration as well as simple exercises
which can create both the depth of feeling and the profound
sensitivity necessary to use yoga practice as a physical, mental,
and spiritual tool for transformation. I recommend it highly."
--Judith Hanson Lasater, PhD, PT, yoga yeacher, and author of 30
Essential Yoga Poses: For Beginning Students and Their Teachers
"Liz Koch brings her years of awareness of the iliopsoas experience
concomitant with not only postural but physiological,
psychological, and transformational effects."
--Bob Cooley, author of The Genius of Flexibility: The Smart Way
to Stretch and Strengthen Your Body

"Life is experienced within the frame of our body. Liz Koch offers
practical tools to enhance our ability to function, grow, and move
through life more gracefully. I highly recommend this book as a
resource for teachers and students."
--Tom McCook, fitness and movement specialist, and director of
Center of Balance, Mountain View, California "[Koch's] level of
detail is impressive with the main thrust on exploration ...
exploring aspects of the core, and deepening the student's
understanding of the extent of core awareness. These exercises
offer a great way for students to fine-tune their awareness of core
strength and sensations."
--Yoga Teacher Magazine "Liz Koch describes the basics of
moving from one's core and the muscles involved, blending these
movements with explorations that focus on inner sensations. The
result is a positive exploration recommended for health ... and
exercise collections alike."
--Midwest Book Review